A new unreleased Beatles song? Yes!

Archivists at Abbey Road have been sorting through Beatles material ever since the band broke up in 1970. In the 56 years that have passed, you would have thought that everything that could be mined has been discovered and released.

Well, no.

In the mid-60s, The Beatles were writing, recording, and evolving at an astonishing rate. Many Beatles fans believe that Revolver (1966) was their best and most interesting album. Back then, The Beatles aimed to have fourteen tracks per album, a neat seven per side.

Revolver was no exception. But what if they had more than fourteen tracks ready to go? Some songs would have to be left out. And what became of those songs?

One of John’s songs did not make it. It has never been officially released. The only reason we know about it is through a bootleg. It’s called “Hold On, I’m Coming.”

It never evolved beyond this demo, probably because John had already contributed five songs to Revolver. The demo was forgotten–until now. Note the similarities of the first four chords to “A Day in a Life.” Maybe this was the starting point for one of The Beatles’ greatest songs.

The video tells the whole story.

(Via Gord)